Misaki falls on the hard ground. Before she could react, the tear in the space closes in front of her. She exhales, widening her eyes as she turns her head to her left. She finds herself sitting in front of a giant metallic gate.
"Where…" She lets out a gasp when a giant black spirit beast drops in front of her out of nowhere.
The creature has countless eyes and too many arms. When he bends down his neck and sniffs her, Misaki's heart accelerates crazily. She has never seen anything like that creature.
Sensing her fear, Mogrok steps back. He cocks his head, studying the girl in front of her. "Young Miss, why are you here?"
"Do you know me?" Misaki's eyes become round when Mogrok nods. She doesn't remember ever seeing this creature in her life before. There's no way that she would have forgotten this creature if she had ever met him.
"You smell different." Mogrok blinks his eyes. The girl also looks a little different from Young Miss. His thousand eyes focus on the two horns in Misaki's head. He has never seen horns on Misumi's head. This person who looks a lot like Misumi must be… Mogrok roars, "Second Young Miss is back!"
"Why are you telling?" Tears fill Misaki's eyes as she covers her ears. Did her mother send her to this world because she was mad at her? This creature's mouth is so big. He is going to eat her.
Mogrok's roar reverberates through the castle, alerting everyone in the vicinity. At the same time, Adira appears in front of Mogrok, carrying a girl with long black hair, rosy lips, and calm dark eyes. Despite her pale skin, she has chubby round cheeks with a rosy tint. Her hair is tied into two round buns. The girl is wearing a white silk robe with purple embroidered flowers that contrasts Adira's plain black robe.
He glances at Mogrok. "Why are you screaming?"
"Lord, Second Young Miss is back!" Mogrok points at the ground. "She appeared out of nowhere."
Adira and Misumi look at the spot at which Mogrok is pointing. There's no one. Their eyes turn back to Mogrok at the same time, silently watching him.
Why is there no reaction? Mogrok glances at the spot and finds it empty. He yelps, shocked. "She was here!"
Just then, a young boy with messy black hair and big brown eyes arrive there. The boy looks at the spot, searching for the person he's been looking for. When he doesn't see the person, he asks Mogrok, sighing. "Was she here?"
"She was." Mogrok peers at the spot again. "Where did she disappear to? I can't smell her anywhere? Did she leave this world?"
"No," The boy answers before Adira could say anything. "She's hiding somewhere. If we wait, she will reappear."
After hearing that, Misumi narrows her dark eyes on the boy. "How do you know that, Lucius?"
Lucius mumbles softly, "It's a guess."
Adira puts down Misaki on the ground. "Go with Lucius."
"Are you going to look for my younger sister?" Misumi asks her father.
It's not a secret that she has a younger twin. She has always known about it. Her mother is somewhere far away and only half of her father is present here. Her only playmate is Lucius who is a halfling like her.
When she was four-year-old, he was found in front of the dark castle. Back then, Mogrok suggested that it would be a good idea if Misumi had a playmate who was the same age as her. Since then, he's been living at the castle. Nobody knows who his parents are. Since it's not usual that halflings are abandoned by their human parents, everyone has accepted him the castle.
Just like her, Lucius looks human. Nobody can tell that she and Lucius are halflings.
"Yes." Adira smiles at her. "Stay with Lucius. Don't go out of the castle."
"I won't." Misumi holds her father's finger and promises him, "Bring her back home soon."
"I will." Adira bends down his waist and plants a kiss on Misumi's head. She giggles before she kisses Adira's cheek.
Mogrok keeps sighing. How could he, the only spirit beast with a thousand eyes, lose track of Misaki? He should have kept all of his eyes on her without blinking.
None of them notices the shadowy look in Lucius' eyes.
After kissing Adira's other cheek, Misumi goes to Lucius' side. She tugs his arm, waking him up from his thoughts. "What are you thinking about, Lucius?"
"Nothing." Lucius beams at her. "Sumi, let's go inside. It's too hot here."
"You are sensitive to heat." Misumi holds his arm, walking along with him. "My sister is going to come back home finally."
"How are you sure?" Lucius questions her, knowing full well that Misaki can't leave the world. She has to return to the castle.
"Twin's intuition." Misumi chuckles when Lucius makes a face at her. "Are you excited? I can't wait to meet my younger sister."
"I wonder if she looks like you." Lucius lets out a sigh.
"If Mogrok mistook her for me, she and I probably look alike." Misumi tabs her chin, thinking. "I haven't heard anything about her. All I remember is that she used to talk a lot when we shared our mother's womb."
That sounds like her. Lucius smiles. "But you don't remember what she said to you."
"I was young back then." Misumi puckers her lips. "Lucius, do you remember everything from the moment you were born?"
He shakes his head. "If I did, I would remember my parents."
"I remember my mother faintly." Misumi leans on him slightly as she walks toward the room where they play together. "Father is also looking for her."
Lucius pats her back. "She will be back."
"I want us to live together." Misumi looks at him. "You too, Lucius. I want to marry you when I grow up."
That came out of nowhere... Lucius blinks his eyes, surprised by those words. Just how it was related to living together? Sometimes, he can't understand a young child's mind. Is that traveller also like Misumi now? A smile forms on his lips.
"Let's get married after we turn twenty." Misumi blushes. "Why aren't you said anything?"
"Sumi, you are more like my sister," Lucius replies with a soothing voice. Even if she's young, he doesn't want to give her any hope. "I can't marry you."
"Why?" She lets of his arm, halting in her track. Misumi creases her forehead when he remains silent. Though she's aware that Lucius will rather remain silent than answer her questions, she still questions him again, "Is something wrong with me?"
"No." Lucius wrinkles his brows, feeling a certain coldness on his back. To be honest, he can't imagine why kids grow up so fast in this world. Thirteen is the legal age. How is Misaki going to adjust to this world? But that's not the big problem. That traveller was here. He did sense her. Then, she went away. Probably in the past. That's where she can hide.
He can't follow her to the past as he used to do it in her past life. Who knew that she would not go to through hellfire? That was the deal between them. The hell broke down after their deal. Is it fate? He exhales, exasperated.
When he tricked Kang Si An into taking birth in a world that was far from the world where Kyuri was supposed to be born, he felt happy. He thought that he could make her fall for him in this life.
Who knew that the woman would be reborn as a time-traveller?
Thankfully, he took birth before the higher-ups could do anything. He's already in Iravan. Since he's a higher entity, he kept his memories intact with him.
But she wasn't born in this world.
Somehow, the woman was reborn on earth. The fae realm wasn't far off.
He was scared that she would meet Li Jun.
However, something worse happened. Misaki was stolen by a god.
It seems that she's found her way back to this world. But why did she leave?
This world is different from planet earth. If that woman doesn't know how to open the gates, she won't be able to leave this world. As much as he knows, the woman can't go to a different world using her abilities.
But he doesn't have a vessel like Kang Si An. He can't go in the past or the future anymore.
"Lucius!" Misumi frowns at him. "Who are you thinking about?"
"About nothing…" There's something funny about children. They often forget easily what they are upset about. It seems that Misumi won't ask him about marriage for now. Lucius looks at Misumi and shakes his head. "Are you hungry?"
"Yes," Misumi grumbles.
"Let's go to the kitchen." He places his hand on her back. At least, the traveller is in the world where he is.